The Ultimate Guide to Au Pair Duties: What’s Expected and What’s Not

Becoming an au pair is an incredibly rewarding role, but it’s important to fully understand the scope of your responsibilities before stepping into this career.

As an au pair, your primary focus is the well-being and development of the children under your care, not household chores or general maintenance.

Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of what you’ll be expected to do as an au pair, and equally important, what falls outside your au pair duties.

What Are Your Duties as an Au Pair?

Your main role as an au pair is to support the children’s daily routines, education, and overall development.

Here’s what you’ll typically be responsible for:

1) School Drop-Offs and Pick-Ups:
One of your main tasks will be ensuring the children get to and from school safely. This may also include driving them to extracurricular activities or appointments.

2) Play and Creative Engagement:
Encouraging creativity and fun is essential. You’ll be engaging with the children through play, crafts, and other activities that promote their imagination and learning.

3) Infant Care:
If you’re working with infants, you’ll be assisting in key developmental stages, such as helping them learn to stand or walk.

4) Structure and Routine:
You’ll play a vital role in creating and maintaining daily routines, which are crucial for a child’s sense of security and well-being.

5) Homework and Educational Support:
Helping with schoolwork is another essential duty, whether it’s assisting with homework, school projects, or preparing for tests.

6) Running Errands for the Family:
You may be asked to run light errands like grocery shopping, purchasing school uniforms, or picking up stationery supplies for the children. Discover how to manage and claim your au pair petrol.

7) Meal Preparation:
Preparing healthy, balanced meals for the children is part of your responsibility. This could also extend to packing school lunches for the following day.

8) Maintaining Children’s Spaces:
While general housekeeping is not your responsibility, you’ll be expected to help keep the children’s play areas clean. This also includes teaching them to pack away their toys after playing.

9) Bathing and Bedtime Routines:
Helping with bath time and other evening routines is often part of the job, ensuring the children have a calm, structured end to their day.

10) Travel and Appointments:
You may accompany the family on trips or attend important appointments such as doctor, dentist, or therapy visits with the children.

11) Facilitating Physical Activities:
Encouraging physical development is important, so you might find yourself facilitating activities like swimming, soccer, or even organising outings such as trips to parks or painting studios.

12) Dinner Preparation and Babysitting:
Occasionally, you may be required to prepare dinner for the children or babysit during evenings or weekends, if agreed upon.

What is NOT Your Responsibility as an Au Pair?

It’s crucial to remember that you are not a housekeeper. While you are an integral part of the children’s lives, your au pair duties should revolve around their well-being and development, not the general upkeep of the household.

Tasks outside your scope of responsibility include:

• General Housekeeping: This includes cleaning the house, dusting, vacuuming, or sweeping floors.
• Gardening: Yard work, trimming hedges, or watering plants falls under general housekeeping, not childcare.
• Car Washing: Cleaning or maintaining the family’s vehicles is not part of your duties.

Your role as an au pair is primarily focused on childcare, development, and educational support, not household maintenance. Keeping this distinction clear from the outset ensures that both you and the family understand the boundaries of your role.

Why Your Role as an Au Pair Matters

You are a pillar in a child’s development. While helping them with daily routines and educational support, you are shaping their growth in profound ways.

By focusing on their needs, routines, and overall well-being, you’re ensuring they have a nurturing environment to thrive in.

Remember, the family hired you to enrich their children’s lives – not to maintain their household. When these roles are clearly defined, it leads to a harmonious, productive relationship where you can focus on what really matters: helping the children grow, learn, and succeed.

Your Role, Defined

Understanding your duties as an au pair is essential for setting clear boundaries and expectations. By knowing what’s expected of you (and what isn’t) you’ll ensure that your experience is both rewarding and fulfilling.

If you’re considering becoming an au pair, or you’re a family looking to hire one, having a well-defined list of responsibilities makes the arrangement smooth and mutually beneficial.

Focus on what matters most—the children—and let other household tasks be handled by those responsible for them.

📚 Added bonus content: Discover how to reimburse and verify your au pairs petrol usage.

Ready to take the next step?

If you’re looking to stand out as an au pair, boost your skills, and land the perfect job, check out our Au Pair Courses or get started with our comprehensive Au Pair Starter Pack to give your career the head start it deserves!